Tiny soil worms called nematodes usually feast on bacteria or algae, and have tiny mouths to suit their diet. But give a baby nematode some fungus and its mouth can as much as double in size – giving it the ability to cannibalise its companions.
A fungi diet is low in nutrients, and the team found more Te morphs in high-density conditions, so the researchers think the Te morph and accompanying cannibalistic habit could have evolved as a response to the stresses of starvation and crowding.at Indiana University notes that we see a similar phenomenon in some other species. For instance, the tadpoles of spadefoot toads and some salamanders can develop into cannibalistic carnivores depending on environmental conditions, says Levis.
But even in those instances, the animals often avoid eating their kin. The Te nematodes don’t discriminate and will“The discovery… makes me wonder how much more diversity there is in nature than what we see,” says Levis. “How many other hidden ‘monsters’ are out there waiting to be found under the right environmental conditions?”
Soil Worms Nematodes Cannibalism Mouth Size Adaptation
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